Two Worlds - Reviews @ IGN, GameVortex

Describing Two Worlds as "polarising", IGN's review seems reasonably balanced amd the score is a modest 7.3/10. There are plenty of complaints but let's take a positive quote for once:

The quest itself is very open-ended, at least after the first couple hours or so. Making progress is more than a simple matter of traveling from place to place marked on your map. Instead you'll need to take on many side-quests to build your reputation in order to make the allies you need to achieve your goals. This might not appeal to shotgun players who don't want to roam the countryside or talk to random villagers, but those that prefer a more leisurely pace will enjoy the sense of consequence it lends. Seeing sub-plots unfold and your reputation evolve can be a lot of fun.

GameVortex' article scores 65% and it's clear they are approaching from a casual gaming perspective:

Two Worlds' story doesn't tread any ground not already covered by other RPGs. A god, Aziraal, was sealed in a tomb. Three hundred years later, the tomb is uncovered and as luck would have it, you're the only guy who can open it. Of course, you have little interest in what lies in the tomb or even that you're the guy with the keys to the place; all you care about is finding your missing sister. Two Worlds follows the same linear, but not-so-linear path as Oblivion. You can follow the main plotline or take on side-quests and discover new things around the world. Though the open-world structure is appreciated, Two Worlds takes a big misstep by almost forcing you to complete a number of side-quests if you want to enjoy the main one. Unlike Oblivion, there's no mechanism that balances difficulty with your character's level; instead the game is hard from the start. If you want to make it through the main quest, you have to take on side-quests in order to level up or find useful equipment.

Unlike Oblivion, there's no mechanism that balances difficulty with your character's level; instead the game is hard from the start. If you want to make it through the main quest, you have to take on side-quests in order to level up or find useful equipment.

Originally Posted by Acleacius
txa1265
Nice, what level are you currently, if leveling is used?

Oh yeah, there are levels - and I'm currently 47. At each level you get stat points and skill points to advance your character.

The monsters and whatnot don't level up, but you do meet harder ones later on - so you might meet a 'young wolf' early, a wolf later, then a silver wolf or undead wolf later still, each more difficult than the last.

Originally Posted by woges
Well what you call a seven I might call a four anyway. A four, is basically, I don't like this game. As far as I know there is no set rule for opinion or taste.

What I'm saying is that all of the reviews / comments from X360 players seem monolithically more negative than PC players. I am wondering how much is 'objective' quality and how much is style and expectations.

I'm thinking the Xbox 360 was a bad choice for Reality Pump. This is a very nice crpg but it's not for the impatient crowd at all. You must complete the side quests to have access to everyone and everyplace you'll need in the main quest. You can't just run and kill everything without actually talking to people and picking sides. That said, you can get 10's in every faction, just like in Oblivion. I've completely destroyed a particular faction and yet I have a 10 faction rating. I think that must be a bug, no? I should have been slotted a zero after killing off the majority of the leaders of that faction.

Both on the two worlds forum at zuxxex.com and on insidetwoworld.com forums, there seem to be a difference on how great the game is, if you have played the xbox 360 or pc version. Gamers who have played the pc version are much more positive than people who have played the xbox 360 version. For some odd reason, the xbox 360 version seems to have many more issues, especially tech issues,
than the pc version has.

-- “ Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction.“ (E.F.Schumacher, Economist, Source)

This is from the description of patch 1.5, which is the version released in the US (shortened):

MORE and more intelligent LEVEL SCALING! Bandits, for instant, will almost always be scaled to your level, and their loot will grow even faster than yours - so beware of those thieving scoundrels, they can crush you quite easily! At the same time, cyclopes and ogers are almost always tougher and more experienced than you… On the other hand, low-level enemies are easier to kill, making early levels much more balanced. Also, Level scaling and loot scaling is affected by Game Difficulty! It makes sense to play "Hard" now!

This is NOT level scaling as in Oblivion. There are LIMITS to scaling. Some monsters scale up to you only to offer challenge in the beginning, then they stop. Sentient beings have randomized loot, but mostly scaled to you - to offer something USEFUL at any level. This is AS WELL capped, so at some point you WILL one-hit kill those sentients. The big creatures are scaled to offer great challenge - they SURPASS your level usually, but ALSO HAVE A CAP! In essence, those are LEVEL RANGES, not Oblivion-type scaling.

In singleplayer, level of being is ruled by a lot of factors:

The main of those is LOCATION. The volcanic regions have very tough enemies, the midlands offer very moderate challenges, BUT at the same time, some sentients will TRY to overlap/equal your level/power (and fail if you are beyond their range). Also, even near the starting point, you will encounter incredibly strong creatures - which will be EASIER to defeat once you grow out of their range.

The second one is TYPE of being. Big creatures will have a very long level range, to accomodate player - and will be scaled BEYOND player at - again - certain level range. The fauna, on the other hand, will stop advancing past level 15-20. They will be pesky zero-damage one-hit critters for a 50 level player, and incredible challenge for a 5 level player.

A large problem with the 360 version is that it's just plain not powerful enough to run it. Anything above 480p and you get chop…sub 25fps at all times. They didn't reduce the graphics enough for the 360 version.

I'm just finishing Silverfall and have ordered Two Worlds. I take them as they are and hope for a patch. AS long as the game is supported, like NWN2, then let's quest. The underground NPCS in Gothic 3 were a bit over though.